Well, this should make Taylor Swift very happy. According to Variety, ABC has renewed medical drama Grey's Anatomy for season 16 and 17, meaning that fans have around two more years before they worry about the fate of their beloved, perpetually in peril hospital staff.
Last year, Grey's Anatomy's season 15 renewal made it the longest-running doctor drama on television, just beating out ER. While Grey's Anatomy has a loyal fanbase, some fans questioned whether the show would continue for much longer, considering Shonda Rhimes reportedly told titular star Ellen Pompeo, who plays Meredith Grey, that once Pompeo was done with the series, Grey's Anatomy would officially end.
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"Ellen and I have a pact that I'm going to do the show as long as she's going to do the show," Rhimes told E! News. "If she wants to stop, we're stopping."
Is that still the case? It's unclear — but Pompeo did previously reveal to Entertainment Weekly that her contract expires after season 16 after which she was ready to bow out.
"I’m clearly not prepared right now to make any formal announcement about what my future is on the show, but I am really feeling like we have told the majority of the stories that we can tell," Pompeo told EW of continuing the series past season 16, when her contract is due to expire. "It's about time that I mix it up. I'm definitely looking for a change."
Season 15 did tease a world without Pompeo's Meredith — albeit not for an entire episode. The episode, "The Good Shepherd," revolved around Amelia Shepherd's (Caterina Scorsone) homecoming, and only brought Mer in for the final scene of the night. If Pompeo isn't leaving the series entirely, perhaps she will simply take a step back so she can focus on "mixing it up" in her career.
No matter the fate of Meredith Grey, at least we know Grey's Anatomy is here to stay for quite some time.